


Conundrum

by cnoocy



Category: Loom
Genre: Canonical Character Death, F/M, Prequel, Quest, Screenplay/Script Format
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-18
Updated: 2010-12-18
Packaged: 2017-10-13 18:06:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/140167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cnoocy/pseuds/cnoocy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An unreachable cutscene.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Conundrum

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AdaptationDecay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdaptationDecay/gifts).



Conundrum

An unreachable cutscene

[Bobbin is in the first room of Crystalgard, standing next to the chalice, which is full of wine.]

{Click CHALICE}  
{Spin UN-SILENCE}

[The wine in the chalice ripples as it begins to speak.]

CHALICE: What, you haven't had enough of casting random spells on me? Well, I suppose now that there are no glassmakers around, I can speak. But I'm not taking any more questions! You already asked the one, and that's all you get. My story begins during the dawn of the guilds...

\----

[A glassblower's workshop, constructed of wood and stone rather than Crystalgard's green glass. A young man in a dingy blue cowl and a long cyan shirt untucked over black pants and brown boots is working at a large oven on the right. A young woman in a clean version of the same outfit comes in from the left, carrying a piece of parchment.]

SOFTSHARD: Luscent, there's another request for you to form a guild. This one's from Murrine Pontil and this one's from Cullet Parison.

LUSCENT: Guilds! Guilds! That's all anyone cares about these days! Here we are, living in an age of amazing innovation in the actual practice of our craft, and they want to focus our energies on new organizational models?

SOFTSHARD: You don't think that the Blacksmiths are coming up with new innovations while they build their forge-city? That would never have happened if they hadn't formed a guild!

LUSCENT: Well, yes, but that's a city. Are we to find some sandy beach and make a city out of glass? I'll tell Murrine and Cullet to stick to their work. Or better yet, go form a guild themselves, and leave me alone!

SOFTSHARD: [Sitting at a bench and picking up tools] Murrine and Cullet could never bring together the other glassmakers. Cobalt Lehr and Faience Millefiori haven't even spoken to each other in the last decade. You're the only one that all of us respect. Of course, they only know you for the quality of your work. If they lived with you, maybe they wouldn't be so eager to put you in charge! [under her breath] Work-obsessed slump.

LUSCENT: I heard that!

[He returns to his work and grabs a pipe sticking out of the oven. He steps backwards, bringing a large glass sphere out of the oven on the end of the pipe. As he blows into the pipe, the sphere inflates significantly, until it is larger than the entrance to the oven. He places the pipe on a rack. Softshard rises and both of them approach the sphere.]

LUSCENT: A perfect sphere! This should make scrying discs look like crude relics! Now let's see whether it works...

[They approach the sphere, and the sphere shows them three images: A green crystal city on a beach, a shining object in a jet of flame, and a chamber full of glass being shaken into shards.]

LUSCENT: The city of glass on the beach! But what is that flame? And that cave...that's my work! All of it! Oh, no!

[He runs offscreen to the left, leaving the First Scrying Sphere to cool on its rack.]

SOFTSHARD: [following him more calmly] If you didn't spend so much time worrying about your work, think how much more of it you'd get done!

\----

[A sandy beach, with Crystalgard under construction, looking very much like the city in the scrying sphere. Slabs of glass are being moved around in the background by workers. Everyone is now dressed in the standard glass maker's outfit of blue and teals. Softshard and Luscent are center stage, looking a bit older and wearing eyeglasses. They are talking to another woman, who has her hands out in remonstration.]

SOFTSHARD: Murrine, I know you think that you want us around for the formation of Crystalgard's first governing council. But they're just going to put him in charge, and Luscent doesn't have patience for anything that doesn't refract light.

LUSCENT: Softshard's right. I'm not the council type.

MURRINE: Then won't you consider staying, Softshard? You understand people, and everyone likes you.

SOFTSHARD: They like me, but they don't respect me. My work is in tools and safeguards. People wear my glasses, but they're all thinking "I could have come up with these" every time they put them on. You have the right mix of amiability and brilliance to lead a guild. And people here will constantly be surrounded by the results of your work on structural glass forms.

Besides, I'm part of this quest, too. It could eliminate an entire category of glass-craft-related injuries. How could I not be part of that?

MURRINE: Will you at least try to stay safe out there? We don't know what sort of dangers you might be walking into.

SOFTSHARD: [Laughing] If we knew what was out there, we wouldn't need to go find out! Don't worry, my friend. We actually take pretty good care of each other.

LUSCENT: That's no lie!

SOFTSHARD: And we won't be rash. Finish building the guild, and we'll be back before you know it.

MURRINE: I'm holding you to that, both of you! We need you both back in Crystalgard soon. Good luck!

[Luscent and Softshard exit to the right.]

\----

[A dark cavern deep in a mountain. The scene is revealed as Luscent and Softshard enter from a tunnel in the center of the screen. They are wearing packs and rather disheveled. They both carry green glass lanterns. ]

SOFTSHARD: I hope there's an amenable dragon in this one. I want to get back to Crystalgard soon so I can play with that grass-and-nitre mixture we got from the Guild of Chemists.

LUSCENT: Seems like a lot of trouble for a material with such poor clarity.

SOFTSHARD: Say that again when we can play catch with one of your pieces.

LUSCENT: I hope to, very soon!

[They step all the way into the center of the room, allowing the light to reach all the way to a small black dragon curled up in a corner of the floor with one claw on a tiny pile of coins.]

DRAGON: Allo? Who are you people? Are you here to steal my gold?

SOFTSHARD: No, honored dragon. We're here to ask you to do a service for us. We need some help carving a stone we...acquired from the Guild of Miners.

LUCENT: They told us it was free!

SOFTSHARD: That's not what "priceless" means, dear.

DRAGON: Me, a stone-carver? I think you've come to the wrong reptile. I don't know anything about carving.

LUSCENT: I'll do the carving. We just need to borrow a shed talon and your fire.

DRAGON: My fire? I'm... I must admit I'm a bit scared of my fire. I don't like to use it.

SOFTSHARD: We'll make it worth your while. Luscent here is a maker of beautiful glass, and we'll send you his three best pieces when we get back.

DRAGON: Eh... how about his six best pieces?

SOFTSHARD: Four.

DRAGON: Five?

SOFTSHARD: Deal. Five it is.

LUSCENT: [whispered to Softshard] My five best pieces? What are you doing?

SOFTSHARD: [whispered back] Isn't it worth it to make something that's literally immortal?

DRAGON: [holding a claw out] Is this talon big enough? I've only shed my talons the once.

LUSCENT: It will be, my new friend.

[Luscent takes the talon from the dragon and places the large round stone on the cave floor. He and Softshard step back as the dragon encases the stone in flame. It is the same image as the one displayed by the scrying sphere. As Luscent steps up to the stone and begins to work on the stone with the talon, Softshard and the dragon step forward to the center of the screen, blocking our view of him.]

SOFTSHARD: That was very brave.

DRAGON: I may be a baby, but I'm not stupid. I expect to see some very pretty glass out of this. If I don't, I'll come find you. We have long memories, we do!

SOFTSHARD: Don't worry.

LUSCENT: I've done it! [They step apart as Luscent comes forward carrying a sparkling chalice in a set of tongs.]

DRAGON: Ooooh, that's quite fancy. Are you sure I can't just keep it?

SOFTSHARD: We'll leave you one of our lanterns as a deposit.

DRAGON: Oh, all right. Take your pretty cup, and come back soon with my payment!

[They leave a lantern there and exit from the same tunnel with the chalice.]

\----

[A sandy beach with much more of Crystalgard completed. There are workers at the tops of towers of glass in the background. Softshard and Luscent approach from the right, as Murrine comes in from the left.]

MURRINE: Softshard! Luscent! You're back! Were you successful?

SOFTSHARD: Murrine! You wouldn't believe...

WORKER IN DISTANCE: Keep that lens steady, shatter it! Watch out down there!

[A flare of light from a distant tower sweeps across Luscent and Softshard, vaporizing them both. The only thing that survives is the chalice, which falls to the sand at Murrine's feet.]

MURRINE: [picking up the chalice] Luscent? Softshard?

\----

[Back in present-day Crystalgard.]

BOBBIN: So, is that why..

CHALICE: I said one question, and I meant one question. Now I'm going to drink this wine, and you're going to scram. Aren't you in the middle of a quest or something, Loom-Child?

[The wine level in the cup lowers gradually until it is empty once again.]

BOBBIN: I really wish I knew why everyone keeps calling me "Loom-Child."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my beta readers, Z and J.


End file.
